Interview to NDTV: L-G Najeeb Jung BJP’s ‘polling agent’, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

He claimed that Modi is afraid of AAP’s performance in the capital. “BJP’s Ashwamedha horse was stopped in Delhi. That is why they are taking revenge against us. But they are making Delhi’s people suffer. For instance, they are destroying jhuggis. I asked them to stop. We even promised that in five years, we will give flats to every jhuggiwala. Yet the L-G is not stopping DDA’s demolitions,” Kejriwal said.

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Attacking the prime minister, he said the L-G’s actions are “exposing Modi on a daily basis”. “We have the right to allocate work to whoever we want, not L-G, Modi or Amit Shah. We will run the government, not them,” he declared.

Asked how his personal relations with Jung are, he said, “We hug each other when we meet”. The measure of this cheeky reply came when Kejriwal launched another biting attack on Jung, suggesting that the L-G would go “crawling even when an orderly working for Amit Shah called him”, but has no time to meet AAP leaders. The CM said the L-G’s house has “become a second headquarters for BJP”.

“Manish (Sisodia) also told me that the Lt-Governor does not pick up his phone after six in the evening or before 10 in the morning, let alone Saturday and Sunday,” the chief minister claimed. He said he has “become a shield between the people and the L-G”, claiming that governance has not suffered. “I get love letters from the L-G every day,” he quipped.

Questioning Jung’s role in the tussle involving the running of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, he said that for 21 years, no one claimed powers over the ACB, let alone the L-G. “In September 2014, ACB wrote a letter to Andaman & Nicobar administration, asking for their officials (to be sent to Delhi). But the file did not even go to chief secretary, let alone the CM or L-G. (However) Jung wrote a letter to me to transfer the case of the Delhi Police personnel who was caught by the ACB. BJP wants to target us through Delhi Police,” claimed the CM.

He further said, “The L-G has made a mockery of institutions. There is nothing wrong between him and me, but he gets calls from above and he has to save his chair.”

Asked about locking out a senior bureaucrat from his office, Kejriwal said “these kind of things happen in government”. “It’s they who should be ashamed of bringing us into this situation and not us,” Kejriwal said.

On reports of bureaucrats being disgruntled, he said if they are unhappy, they could come to him and they would be transferred in 24 hours. “Hum kisi dhukhi atma ko rakhna nahi chahte (We don’t want to keep a sad soul),” said the CM.

On threats of stopping salaries to government officials, Kejriwal retorted, “When did Home (Ministry) start giving salaries. It is the people of Delhi who are paying salaries even to the PM. Home Minister or Lt-Governor hamare headmaster hain kya? Hum bachche hain kya? Hum unki class mein padhte hain kya? I am not Rahul Gandhi,” Kejriwal said mockingly.

Kejriwal also emphasised that air pollution was a top priority for his government. “Vehicular pollution is the biggest cause. And it will change when we can strengthen public transport. We only have 7,000 buses now, and I want to add 10,000 more in one year.”

Kejriwal avoided speaking about firing Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the party. “Let bygones be bygones,” he said.

On allying with the chief ministers of non-BJP states, Kejriwal said, “BJP will try to destabilise them too through governors. They should be careful.”

Kejriwal evaded a question on the circular his government issues last month, threatening defamation action against the media. He said it was the government’s decision and not only his. “Our effort was to stop the misuse of the existing defamation law,” he said.

He said he was not angry with the media, and wanted to “do the work people have voted us to do” rather than just talk to the media.